


Without Wings

by darktensh17



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Fluff, Multi, Romance, Wings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-12
Updated: 2016-07-12
Packaged: 2018-07-23 13:59:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7466058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darktensh17/pseuds/darktensh17
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world where everyone has wings, Poe Dameron was born an anomaly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Without Wings

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the TFA kink
> 
> "I have a mighty need for wing fic. Insect wing fic, specifically. Any character or situation -- what sort of prejudices and opinions are informed by what sort of wings someone has? Social cues and postures that are unique to particular subsets?"

Poe has spent his entire life surrounded by people with wings. 

His mother had [Shara Bey](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Male_Luna_Moth,_Megan_McCarty141.jpg) had the most beautiful moth wings that Poe had ever seen. Her large pale green wings, lined with a soft brown down near the tops, were those of a luna moth. She’d often complain that they were a bit hard to get into a cockpit but that’s why she piloted an A-Wing it had a lot more room.

Where his mother’s wings were light and soft, Poe’s father, [Kes Dameron](http://www.bugunderglass.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/framed-rhino-beetle.jpg), has the wings of a rhino beetle. They are large and sturdy, nearly see through other than the faint brown tint and easily hidden. Kes often keeps them folded up under his clothes, maybe it’s to keep Poe from feeling bad and maybe it’s because he hasn’t flown since Poe’s mother died. 

In spite of both his parents having rather large wings Poe is born wingless, one of a few humans born with such a genetic defect. Poe’s mostly fine with it until he meets the Organa-Solo family.

Like his father [Han Solo](http://cdn-4.ladybug-life-cycle.com/graphics/ladybug_hidden_wings.jpg) has wings that easily hidden, they’re see through and a darker brown than Poe’s fathers wings but not as large and they’re covered by a fine red shell.

“It’s called an elytron, and the reason it’s red and spotted like that is because Han Solo has the wings of a ladybug, which is a type of beetle.” 

While the information is interesting Han Solo’s wings quickly lose any interest to Poe’s young eyes when he sees the wings of the people who have come to visit Poe’s parents on Yavin IV for along side Han Solo. 

Later on Poe will find out that all users of the Force, whether Jedi or not, have butterfly wings.

At first all he can see is blue because [Luke Skywalker](http://pulpbits.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/blue-butterfly-1-330x220.jpg) has the most beautiful wings that Poe has ever seen, other than his mother’s of course. Luke’s wings are a brilliant blue tinged with black around the edges, and they seem to glow with their own inner light.

Standing beside him [Leia Organa-Solo's](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ti4e5g-mki0/Tbkl6htX__I/AAAAAAAAKyA/zvCaIopxtKM/s1600/BP_adult_Sum_CM_01.jpg) wings flap twice as she smiles down at the figure nestled against her chest. Leia’s wings have some of the same blue as her brother’s but there are other colours; the upper area’s of the top of the wings have brown and white with some yellow spots and the bottoms of her wings have a black and a red ‘eye spot’ on either side.

The little boy in her arms has small wings that look more like Luke’s than Leia’s. They feature the same blue but they have thick black edge surrounding the blue. 

“Poe this is [Ben Organa-Solo](http://gallery.objectconsulting.com.au/var/albums/Photography-Competitions/December---Animalia/Cairns_Holiday_4906.jpg?m=135614417/).” Poe’s mother says to him, pushing Poe forward a little. “He’s very shy but Mama would be very proud if you would be friends with him.”

Poe nods and turns all his focus on Ben who looks to be four, only three years or so younger than Poe himself. “Hullo Ben! I like your wings!” He says enthusiastically, smiling up at the younger boy. 

Ben looks uncertain, clinging to his mother tighter before quietly replying. “Thank you. . .where are yours?”

The adults seem to hush around them, waiting maybe to see what Poe will say.

“I don’t have any.” Poe says with a shrug, “It’s okay though because I don’t need them. Oone day I’m gunna be the best pilot in the galaxy and then I can fly everywhere!” Without pausing he holds up his small hand to Ben. “I have a special tree in my backyard you wanna see it?”

Little Ben thinks this over for a moment before nodding and squirming to be let down before taking Poe’s hand. Together they head to the back of the ranch so that Poe can shoe Ben the tree that his mama brought back with Luke Skywalker. 

Ben used to have such beautiful wings, Poe thinks to himself as he watches Kylo Ren pace back and forth in front of him, demanding the location to the map that Lor San Tekka gave Poe. Kylo Ren’s wings are mere shreds of their former glory and Poe wonders if it’s just one more thing that he gave up when he went over to the Dark Side.

There isn’t much thinking after that because suddenly Ren is in his head and he’s seeing his childhood flash before his eyes and with it the information Ren wants. 

Poe passes out wishing for once that he did have wings so he could fly away from everything.

-

FN-2187 is a stormtrooper and all stormtroopers have the same type of bee wings. Their wings are usually kept under their armour but they are permitted to stretch and use them during training. It is a waste to allow the wings to get weak because they can be utilized in battle. The stormtroopers are allowed one day a standard week to train using their wings. 

During these training days [FN-2187](http://www.wunderground.com/data/wximagenew/d/dypepper/430.jpg) has noticed that his wings differ slightly from those of his fellow troopers. He wisely keeps it to himself; any differences could get him sent to reconditioning or get him terminated.

The only other time they’re allowed to have their wings free is at night in the barracks or when they’re showering.

“I don’t know they look the same to me as anyone else’s.” Slip says after they’ve finished a training run and hit the showers. “I think you might be worrying over nothing.” 

Slip is the only person that FN-2187 would trust with this; even then he seems uninterested in FN-2187’s dilemma. Instead of dwelling on it FN-2187 nods. “Probably, let’s go meet up with Nines and Zeros before they eat our allotted rations and claim we were late and they didn’t want to waste any.”

“Yeah, let’s go!”

FN-2187 tries not to dwell too much on the possibility of his wings being different. All stormtroopers have bee wings, that’s what he continues to tell himself as reassurance.

The only members of the First Order who do not have bee wings are the commanding officers, who for the most part have the wings of various types of wasps. Where stormtroopers must all be the same, how they manage that FN-2187 does not speculate, the officers have wasp wings of different shapes and sizes.

Some have other wings entirely. It is well know that [Captain Phasma](http://sci-s03.bacs.uq.edu.au/ins-info/003IM.jpg) has the wings of a double drummer cicada, which she utilizes to their full extent. The sound she can make often has the stormtroopers under her covering their ears and trying not to wince. 

Everyone knows about Kylo Ren’s shredded butterfly wings. There’s much speculation about how they got into that state, but no one is brave, or stupid enough, try and find out what the truth is. 

Even more interesting is the rumour that [General Hux](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/127816/file-16938680-jpg/images/dragonfly_green_blue.jpg/) has a pair of dazzling blue-green dragonfly wings. No one can confirm or deny it though as the general either keeps his wins hidden or at such an odd angle that they could be any number of wings. 

The first time FN-2187 has seen any sort of variety of wings is also his first mission. The human villagers on Jakku have so many different types of wings both large and small and in an impossible array of colour. FN-2187 wishes he could have had time to study them more. 

Maybe, just maybe, if his crazy plan works he’ll get to see all sorts of wings. First he needs a pilot. He doesn’t expect the man to be wingless, but as long as he can fly that’s all that matters.

For someone who is wingless he seems to know a lot about wings and he smiles as he looks at FN-2187’s wings. “You’re different than the others aren’t you? Those aren’t bee wings they’re the wings of a hummingbird clearwing, hemaris thysbe.”

Crashing on to Jakku was never part of his plan, but the newly dubbed Finn finds that there are a lot of things happening that he hasn’t planned on today. 

-

Rey grows up knowing that she is different from many of the people of Jakku. Humans seem to be the only beings with wings, and even though that makes scavenging easier it makes life more difficult.

Being a butterfly on Jakku is a dangerous thing. Anything that makes you stand out as different than the rest is dangerous on Jakku. From an early age Rey learned to keep herself hidden as best she can. 

That fact that her wings are blue and black, with copper lining the bottom of the lower wings doesn’t make things easier for her. 

[Rey](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/15/Parantica_sita.jpg/220px-Parantica_sita.jpg) has two choices she has to either keep her wings completely hidden, which she often does when she goes into Niima Outpost so see Unkar Plutt and get her find exchanged for food portions. Her other option is to meticulously try and dirty her wings enough with sand so that they don’t stick out to the naked eye against the vast deserts of Jakku. They’re less noticeable when she’s flitting around the inside of a fallen ship or Star Destroyer.

As much as Rey wishes that she could do all of her scavenging using flying, using her wings takes up large amounts of energy. It’s only when the parts she finds are extremely difficult to get to or very valuable that Rey will risk using her wings. She learned early on that just because something seems easy it doesn’t mean that it will be worth it in the end.

She doesn’t know that her butterfly wings mean something because she’s never met anyone with wings like hers. It’s not until she happens upon a stranded droid and throws her lot in with someone she will later find out is a defecting stormtrooper that she learns more. 

Maz Kanata tells her about the Force and how it moves through everything. She tells Rey that her wings, those beautiful butterfly wings that Rey hates so much, are a symbol of her connection to the Force.

Rey runs away from it all; the Force, the lightsaber, she’d run from her own wings if she could. Unbidden she runs into the arms of Kylo Ren and in the heart of Starkiller Base learns more about herself in one moment than she ever thought possible. 

She isn’t sure she likes what she learns.

“You need a teacher!” Kylo Ren shouts at her as their lightsaber clash, she’s doing all she can to hold her own but Kylo Ren is stronger and more experienced. “I can show you the ways of the Force!”

Rey catches sight of his torn wings over his shoulder and wonders if this is to be her fate as well. Kylo Ren is dark, evil, but Rey doesn’t want to be that. “The Force.” Rey whispers to herself, recalling how Maz said that it flowed through everything. 

She can feel her wings fluttering against her back and suddenly she’s more calm than she has ever been before. Drawing on that she fights back, pushing Kylo Ren’s away an aside.

Even though she emerges the victor of the battle, it doesn’t feel like a win to her. What good is the Force if it can’t help Finn? She asks herself as she kneels next to him in the snow, watching in awe as the Mellenium Falcon appears on the horizon.

In the end she leaves everything behind, including Finn, to find Luke and become a Jedi. 

-

The three of them lay on the grass together, their hands intertwined; Poe’s in Finn’s, Finn’s in Rey’s and Rey’s in Poe’s. Together they make a small perfect circle. 

“Some people say that wings are the window into the soul.” Poe gently says, turning his head to look first at Finn and then at Rey. “I think there has to be some truth to it. Finn’s wings were similar enough to others to keep him hidden but also stood out if you know what to look for.”

Poe gives Finn’s hand a squeeze before turning his attention to Rey. “Your wings are a visual representation of the Force but it’s more than that. Their colours are a mix between your past on Jakku and your present as a Jedi.”

Finn and Rey lean up on their elbows exchanging a look over Poe. “It that’s true then what about you?” Finn prompts gently, “You have no wings.”

“I’m sure a mutation, I was born without the gene that allows me to have wings and that’s okay. I’ve lived with it all my life.” Poe’s told them as much many times before. 

Rey leans over and presses a kiss to his cheek, watching as Finn does the same to the other side. “Maybe you don’t have wings because there’s nothing you need to show to the world, you’re perfect the way you are.”

Poe laughs and he’s about to reply when he’s suddenly doubling over, his arms going to wrap around his sides to claw at his back. 

“Poe!”

“Poe what’s wrong?”

Finn and Rey reach out trying to find out what’s wrong as Poe fights back groans of pain. 

Suddenly there is the sound of tearing as something bursts out of Poe’s back shredding his shirt and his skin. 

Poe is left panting, held up by only Finn and Rey’s hands on him. “Kriff.”

“Oh my. . .so lovely.” Rey is the first to say anything as she and Finn look at Poe’s new wings. They’re small in size and delicate looking, with the hind wing pair divided in three feathery plumes and the front pair in another two. They’re also pure white.

Finn reaches out to touch one amazed at their soft texture. “Poe they’re beautiful.”

[Poe](http://www.meades.org/moths/moths_02-07-06/white_plume_moth.jpg) cranes his neck back to look at his wings, wings he’d never thought he’d get. “Wow. . .why now though?” 

“Maybe it’s the Force, or maybe it’s something as cheesy and romantic as love being needed to help you out of your shell, or maybe pupa in this case.” Finn jokes weakly.

Rey swats at him and then puts an arm under Poe’s armpit. “Do you think you can stand? We’ll need to get you checked out. If saving your wing pads split when you get your adult is painful I imagine that growing wings is doubly so.” 

“Yeah, I think I can manage.” His back is killing him but he’s more fascinated by his wings than concerned for the pain.

While he’s helping Poe up from his other side, Finn can’t help but remark. “I guess it’ll be on us to teach our flyboy how to fly properly now.”

**Author's Note:**

> The reason I started this fic is because I had the end scene from the Dun Bluth version of Thumbelina is my head. You know where the prince kisses her and she gets her own set of wings.
> 
> Images of the wings I chose I'll include in a post bellow. I made Han Solo have ladybug wings just because. (I know that cicada's technically don't sing with their wings but we'll ignore it for fic writing sake yes?)
> 
> I had all the Skywalker clan have the blue in their wings to symbolize familial ties.


End file.
